


The Language of Friendship

by cheshirecatstrut



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Male-Female Friendship, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-22 11:12:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14307438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshirecatstrut/pseuds/cheshirecatstrut
Summary: Logan, Veronica and Backup meet at a soccer game in Junior High. Mayhem naturally ensues.





	The Language of Friendship

**The language of friendship is not words but meaning. --Henry David Thoreau**

“If we both stick to a story, they can’t prove anything.”

Veronica looks up from adjusting Sacks’ not-so-fragrant gym towel beneath the pitbull puppy in the box. Logan Echolls is sprawled across both visitors’ chairs in her father’s office, muddy cleats crossed on an armrest. His floppy bangs spill sideways as he turns towards her, and he brushes them back with one bitten-nailed hand.

“Does stick to the story mean lie?” The little dog whines up at her, tan fur spotted with muck, and she adopts her firmest expression while shaking her head. Mom has a cow when the uniform gets filthy, and she’s already got enough to complain about after today’s misadventures. “Because lying to cops is never a smart strategy. It's MUCH wiser to persuade them to forgive, so you can put the incident behind you.”

“Easy for you to say.” Logan slumps onto his back, gazing morosely up at the ceiling, runs his tongue across his braces, reflective. “The head cop is your dad, and he happens to actually love you.”

“We didn’t do anything so wrong.” She gives in and pets the puppy’s head; it begins frantically scrabbling to exit the box. “I’m sure if we explain our reasoning it will all work out fine.”

“Feel free to handle your folks however you want.” He makes a magnanimous hand gesture. “But your dad can NOT call mine. You might manage to schmooze your way out of this, but I’d be up shit creek for causing a public scene.”

Veronica sighs. “You know, we wouldn’t even have gotten caught…”

“If Duncan hadn’t spilled the beans to his mother?” Logan smirks acknowledgement. “Next time, just warn him to keep his mouth shut. He prefers to take the easy road, but he’s REALLY good at following directions.”

“Unlike Lilly,” Veronica says, dry. “Who invariably makes the biggest scene possible in order to ENRAGE her mother.”

“Lilly doesn’t even have to try.” Logan smiles reminiscently. “She just wears her uniform a little too tight, like she did today, and then stands there.”

With an eyeroll, Veronica turns back to the pitbull, scratches behind his ears. “It’s so frustrating he told on us, though, because I’m NEVER in trouble. My dad thinks I hung the moon, and I do my best to keep it that way.”

“Yeah, you’re a real angel,” Logan mutters, no doubt in reference to the game earlier. Although he's got no right to complain about how she handled things--he sealed his own fate by cheating. “Although points for keeping your vicious streak under wraps, especially hanging with Fickle Miss Lilly. You must be smart to keep on her good side and out of trouble. So start thinking.”

“You’re no slouch on your feet yourself.” She gathers the puppy’s face in her hands, kisses between his ears. “I had you pegged for a total jerk after you tricked poor Enbom to score that goal, but you turned out to be helpful.”

“I’m the jerk?” he demands, sitting up in a burst of energy. “YOU got me red-carded!”

She shrugs, pretending elaborate unconcern, and he crosses the room to sit beside the box. Reaches in to lift out the puppy, which wriggles in happiness and begins licking his face. “But I guess you can’t be all bad, liking dogs as much as you do,” he adds, with a sideways glance her direction. “So this one time, maybe I’ll let things slide.”

Footsteps sound in the hallway, and she grabs the pit bull from his arms and shoves it back in the box. “Crap, it’s my dad.” She scrambles to separate the chairs and sit in one, and he helps like he understands the urgency. “We’re out of time to strategize, so just try to look innocent and follow my lead, okay?”

He opens his mouth to reply, but Dad walks in, so he closes it again with a snap. Sits back warily, arms crossed, as Dad circles the desk, stern and official. Veronica wishes Logan would employ better posture because he looks way too guilty.

“Now…” Dad shuffles papers to make them sweat, a tactic for which V isn’t falling. “You two want to explain to me why you stole my official police cruiser while I was off buying ice cream, and used it to go for a joyride?”

Logan frowns, and Veronica turns on the charm. “Dad,” she says, at her most earnest, removing the dog from the box again to better display his fat adorableness. “It was all to save this poor, innocent puppy. I mean, just look at him! How could I leave this baby in the hands of a terrible person practicing animal cruelty?”

“This terrible person being…” Dad checks his notes. “Michael Varner? The eighteen-year-old rightful owner of that pit bull you’re holding?”

“He was an eighteen-year-old JERK hitting on Lilly!” Veronica protests, indignant. “By promising he’d train this poor pup to dogfight! I know my animal-rights statutes, Dad, you must realize I do. And I am a hundred percent sure that’s illegal.”

“So is Varner hitting on Lilly, sir,” Logan points out, folding his hands primly. “He’s an adult. Whereas she really needs to date someone her own age.”

Dad fixes Logan with an assessing look, and Veronica kicks him. “Anyway,” she says, to divert attention, “I was keeping an eye on the situation while cooling down after the game, and Logan was sulking on the bench. And even though there might have been some hard feelings, based on the final score…”

Logan snorts, and Veronica kicks him again. “DESPITE that,” she continues. “We both saw the guy yanking his dog around on a chain, and our eyes met, and we just…silently agreed he shouldn’t keep it. So I walked up to the jerk, and asked to hold this sweet baby, and cooed.”

“She was very convincing, sir.” Logan watches the pit bull lick Veronica’s hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone act bubblier.”

Shaking back her blonde ponytail, Veronica suppresses the urge to kick him a third time. “I pretended to stumble, drop the puppy, and Logan threw his Gatorade bottle so the dog would fetch it. Because he’s SUCH a good boy, yes he is.” She nuzzles the little animal, nose-to-nose. “Then of course I said I’d catch him, and ran off after…and Logan ‘accidentally’ tripped Michael whatshisname before he could follow. That’s when Lilly got in on the action.”

“She figured out what we were up to.” Logan grins, remembering. “And, uh, pretended to return Varner's interest while helping him up. Which, as you can probably guess, diverted his attention. But then Mrs. Kane showed, and wasn’t happy with Lilly talking to the guy. And Duncan made things worse by telling his mom we were stealing the dude’s puppy. So she dragged them both away before they could get into trouble. And then, apparently, called your cell.”

“Anyway,” Veronica reclaims the narrative, “I finally caught this naughty dog after he enjoyed some puddles and needed somewhere to hide him, so I could tell his owner he ran away. I saw your cruiser parked next to Amy’s, and figured you were getting ice cream. Because you ALWAYS bring ice cream for me and Lilly when you pick us up after a game.”

“Remind me to stick with you two when we’re done from now on,” Logan interjects. “Nobody ever brings ME ice cream, and I’m a growing boy.”

“The only problem was, the puppy wouldn’t stop barking.” Veronica pats Logan’s hand, because come on. Ice cream after exercise is a NECESSITY. “And Michael ‘I-hurt-innocent-dogs’ was rushing around looking for it. Logan kept an eye on me, so he knew where I was hiding; and as soon as the guy quit watching, he came running. He said, ‘Just drive around the block, and we’ll park in the alley until that…person goes away’. Only of course I can’t drive. But HE knows how.”

“One of the stuntmen on ‘The Long Haul’ taught me.” Logan bobs his eyebrows. “I can handle a big rig, too.”

“We only just crept along for a very little way, Dad.” Veronica makes her eyes as large and pleading as possible. “Solely to save this poor dog from a terrible death. That’s not so very wrong, is it? I mean, I can pay the owner back for any adoption fees from my allowance--I’ve been saving all my money for college.”

Logan mutters, “Who saves for college at TWELVE?” But Dad only sighs in the most heartening of ways.

“Veronica,” he says, “Do you really expect me to just adopt a dog, apropos of nothing? Especially one obtained by nefarious means? What kind of example would that set for you kids?”

“But DAD!” she counters. “Aren’t you always saying you’re worried about me home alone, when you have to work late and Mom’s at PTA meetings? Wouldn’t a ferocious-seeming but actually-sweet guard dog be an ideal solution?”

“And sir,” Logan interjects, reaching over to pat the puppy’s head. “I would happily volunteer to visit and help train it. I’m actually very good at getting animals to do what I want.”

People, too, Veronica thinks, as he reads Dad’s expression and hastily adds, “Me and the Kanes, I mean. I’m Duncan’s best friend. Lilly says we need to look out for Veronica when the three of us start public school next year, anyway. Apparently it’s a rough environment for little blondes.”

Dad folds his arms, evaluating. “Will there be further unsanctioned driving, if I allow you near my home and my daughter? Or any more theft of other peoples’ pets?”

“No sir.” Logan crosses his heart. “I stay strictly within the confines of what I’m allowed to do by my parents. Or, in the current setup, my nanny—since my folks are overseas for two months on a movie set, way, way out in the desert. With no phones.”

Veronica’s pretty good at guessing when someone’s lying; but with Logan, she can’t tell whether the nanny even exists. It doesn’t seem like Dad can, either, because he stares at her partner-in-crime for a minute before speaking. “Does your nanny expect you home at a certain time?”

“No sir.” Logan shakes his head, making his bangs flop into his eyes again. “I was supposed to stay the night with the Kanes, so she’s taken the evening off. But then they unexpectedly…left.”

“All right,” Dad says, in the grudging voice that tells Veronica she’s won. “You can come to our house for dinner and help Veronica get the dog settled. We’ll eat the ice cream I bought for dessert, and then I’ll call Celeste and drive you over to the Kanes’.”

“Oh, Daddy, thank you!” Veronica deposits the puppy back into the box so she can run around the desk and hug her father. “I promise I’ll take really good care of him and walk him every day!”

“Yes you will,” Dad says pointedly. “And you can start by cleaning him up right now, while I go square things in the interrogation room with the dog’s lawful owner.”

He leaves, casting one last measured look at Logan. Veronica collapses dramatically onto the floor, sighing in relief. “Thank GOD! I was worried for a minute he wasn’t going to crumble.”

“You know, your dad’s all right.” Logan joins her, reaching into the box to shake the puppy’s paw. “Even though he and I are destined to be on opposite sides of the law in days to come.”

Veronica smiles. This boy really is kind of cute, with his floppy hair and giant hands and big silver grin, although of course she’d never tell him so. “And you’re all right, too, Echolls. But you laid on the smarm just a LITTLE too thick with that whole ‘overseas in the desert’ story. Here’s a hint--Dad’s not dumb.”

“Awwww!” Logan presses the puppy’s paw to his heart, batting his lashes. “Are you looking out for me? Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?”

Veronica shakes her head, pretending exasperation she no longer entirely feels. “Against my better judgment,” she says, sternly, “I think it just might be.”


End file.
